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1. Youth employment measures

2. Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

3. Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

4. Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

5. Quality assurance

Youth employment measures

Supported employment measures include subsidised employment, support for the acquisition of professional skills and public works.

Subsidised employment. The amount of the wage subsidy is calculated 50 percent in accordance with the provisions of Article 41, Part 2 of the Employment Law and Article 5 of the Description of the Conditions and Procedure for the Implementation of Employment Support Measures for employed:
- unemployed people aged 16-24;
- unemployed people starting work for the first time, who have acquired a qualification no more than 2 years ago.
More information about subsidies - here.

Support for the acquisition of professional skills (learning support) measures:

• - vocational training, intended for unemployed persons or employed persons referred to in Article 37(1) of the Employment Law to acquire new qualifications or improve existing ones, to acquire competencies under formal or non-formal vocational training programmes;
  - employment under an apprenticeship employment contract, as a form of organising vocational training or non-formal adult education;

• - internship, as an unpaid period of work practice, intended for raising, restoring or improving the work skills or professional qualifications of unemployed persons;

• - recognition of competences acquired through non-formal education and self-education, intended for assessing the competences acquired by unemployed or employed persons;

• - non-formal adult education, intended for unemployed and employed persons to improve their qualifications or to acquire or improve general or professional competences under non-formal adult education programmes, including under a part of a higher education study programme (study module), as well as to learn the state language;

• - acquisition of high value-added qualifications and competences, intended for unemployed and employed persons to acquire high value-added qualifications and (or) competences under vocational training and non-formal adult education programmes providing high value-added qualifications and competences (source - article 9).

Public works are provided and financed by the Lithuanian Public Employment Service and municipalities. Public works are a legal policy measure. They can be part of labor market policy measures or a punishment (imposed for criminal acts). Public works are unpaid community service work imposed as an alternative administrative penalty instead of a fine or part thereof. The duration of public works is calculated in hours. Public works are imposed only on able-bodied or partially able-bodied persons, as understood in the Law on Social Integration of the Disabled of the Republic of Lithuania, and may not be imposed on pregnant women when this may harm their health or the health of the fetus, or on persons raising a child under the age of seven, taking into account the interests of the child, or on disabled persons who cannot perform these works due to their health condition (source - Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Lithuania CAO, Article 26). The total duration of public works carried out by a job seeker can in no case exceed six months over a period of 12 months. An employer who hires a job seeker sent by the Lithuanian Public Employment Service to carry out public works is entitled to receive a wage subsidy for the hours worked by the employed person equalling the minimum hourly wage plus a compensation for social security contributions (Nekrošius and Petrylaitė, 2010).

Vocational education and training programmes are active labour market measures provided by the Lithuanian Labour Exchange. The following vocational education and training programmes are in place: 1) a voucher system, introduced in 2012; and 2) an apprenticeship programme, introduced in 2013. The voucher system is aimed to fund the training for the unemployed. Lithuanian Public Employment Service issues a voucher to registered unemployed persons or persons who received a notice of dismissal who can redeem the voucher at vocational education and training (VET) providers approved by Lithuanian Public Employment Service. A training contract is signed between Lithuanian Public Employment Service, the employer and the participant. The trainee may receive an education grant (50% to 60% of minimum wage for the actual hours spend in training) and may request additional funding to cover costs of accommodation and travel. Typically the employer provides guarantee that the participant will be reemployed for at least six months after completion of the training.

Support for local mobility commuting is provided to the registered unemployed people who found a job in geographical areas other than their current place of residence. Expenses on accommodation and travel costs are covered up to a sum of one minimum wage. Support is provided for a period of up to three months. 

Socially useful activities is an employment supprot programme organised and managed by the municipalities independently from Lithuanian Public Employment Service. The programme targets social assistance benefit recipients who have been unemployed for more than six months. Usual duration of the programme is 40 hours per month. Participants do not receive wage but work in return for receiving the benefits.

Some municipalities apply separate programs to encourage employers to hire young people, for example info in article. 

Main legislation supporting the integration of young people in the labour market:

• 2021 February 4 Order of the Minister of Social Security and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania "On the Approval of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Youth Guarantee Initiative" No. A1-108 (link, Renewed valid from 30 May 2023 is here). Prepared in accordance with the Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 (link below). The criteria for evaluating the measures of the Plan and their significance, info about funding are provided in Annex 2 to the Plan. The implementers of the Plan measures shall submit information to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour on how the measures provided for in the Plan are being implemented by 15 January and 15 July each year during the implementation period of the Plan.

• 2020 October 30 Council Recommendation “A bridge to the labor market. Reinforced Youth Guarantee Initiative " (link), which replaces the 2013 April 22 Council Recommendation on the establishment of a Youth Guarantee Initiative.

• 2016 June 21 Employment Law of the Republic of Lithuania No. XII-2470 (current consolidated version link).

• 2014 August 19 Order of the Minister of Social Security and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania “On Approval of the Description of the Procedure for the Implementation of the Youth Guarantee Initiative” No. A1-416 (current consolidated version link).

• 2014 March 10  Council Recommendation on the quality framework for traineeships (link).

• 2013 April 22 Council Recommendation on the establishment of a Youth Guarantee Initiative (link).

   

Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

Information about employees' options for choosing flexible working arrangements is available on page of the State Labour Inspectorate (link VDI).

The Labor Code of the Republic of Lithuania (52 article) provides for the possibility of remote work, which is especially relevant for those living in remote areas, young families with children, and students. Remote work is assigned at the employee's request or by agreement of the parties. An employee's refusal to work remotely cannot be a legitimate reason for terminating an employment contract or changing working conditions. If the employer does not prove that this would result in excessive costs due to production necessity or the peculiarities of work organization, he must satisfy the employee's request to work remotely if it is requested by a pregnant employee, an employee who has recently given birth or is breastfeeding, an employee raising a child under the age of eight, an employee raising a child under the age of fourteen or a child with a disability under the age of eighteen, or an employee who, according to the conclusion of a healthcare institution, has submitted a request based on a health condition, disability or the need to care for or supervise a family member or a person living with the employee. Remote work does not cause restrictions on the calculation of seniority, appointment to higher positions, or qualification development, nor does it limit or restrict other employment rights of the employee. The procedure for implementing remote work established by the employer must not violate the protection of the employee's personal data and his or her right to private life.

Working time regime (Article 113 of the Labor Code). Unless otherwise provided, the employer shall establish the working time regime for one, several or all employees at the workplace. The employer shall choose one of the following types of working time regime:

• constant duration of the working day (shift) and the number of working days per week;

• cumulative accounting of working time;

• flexible working schedule;

• split working day time regime;

• individual working time regime.

The employer must satisfy the request to work in the working time regime desired by the employee, when requested by a pregnant employee, an employee who has recently given birth or is breastfeeding, an employee raising a child under the age of eight, and an employee raising a child under the age of fourteen or a disabled child under the age of eighteen, an employee who has submitted a request based on a conclusion from a healthcare institution about his or her health condition or the need to care for (look after) a family member or a person living with the employee, if this would not result in excessive costs for the employer due to production necessity or the peculiarities of work organisation.

The actions envisage the drafting of legal acts regulating more flexible employment relations, seek to increase the employment rate of youth and elderly people (Interinstitutional Action Plan 2014−2016 Implementing the Employment Increasing Programme 2014–2020 - link), and are related to the creation of the environment conducive to the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of business. With regard to the connections of problems, goals, and seeking continuity of actions, the Action Plan also includes actions contributing to the implementation of the National Strategy of Overcoming the Ageing Consequences.

Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

There are no specific measures of reconciliation of private and working life for young people as a separate social group; however there are specific measures of reconciliation of private and working life for persons having young children (parents) and pregnant women.

Guarantees for parents in the New Labor Code

The New Labor Code gives a new meaning to the principle of respecting an employee's family obligations in legal norms. It establishes that the employer must take measures to help the employee fulfill his family obligations. It also establishes that in the cases established by this Code, requests submitted by employees related to the fulfillment of family obligations must be considered by the employer and responded to in writing with reasons. The principle of respecting an employee's family obligations is manifested through the provisions of the Labor Code regulating the right to free time off for family needs, part-time work, remote work, flexible and individual working time regime (5 different possible working time regimes), and a variety of employment contracts (in particular, a job-sharing employment contract) (source).

Present Labour Code 2017 provides that an employment contract with an employee who is a pregnant woman during her pregnancy and until the child reaches the age of four months may be terminated by agreement of the parties, on the initiative of the employee, on the initiative of the employee during the trial period, without the will of the parties, and upon expiry of a fixed-term employment contract at the end of its term. The fact of pregnancy of the employee shall be confirmed by providing the employer with a medical certificate of pregnancy.  From the day when the employer became aware of the pregnancy of the employee to the day when the child reaches the age of four months, the employer shall not be entitled to give the employee who is a pregnant woman a notice of the future termination of the employment contract or to take a decision to terminate the employment contract on any grounds other than those specified in paragraph 1 of this Article. If grounds for the termination of the employment contract have arisen during this period, the employee who is a pregnant woman may be given a notice of the termination of the employment contract, or a decision to terminate the employment contract may be taken only after the end of this period. If an employee is granted a pregnancy or childbirth leave, or a childcare leave during the period until the child reaches the age of four months, the employment contract may be terminated only after the end of such a leave. The main difference in new Labour code adopted in 2017 that fixed term employment contract with a pregnant woman could be terminated upon its expiry. But if an employee is granted a pregnancy or childbirth leave, or a childcare leave during the period until the child reaches the age of four months, the employment contract may be terminated only after the end of such a leave.

Longer vacation is provided for: employees raising a child under 14 years of age alone or a disabled child under 18 years of age.

The new Labor Code provides for additional benefits for persons raising children (the so-called "mother's days"). Employees raising one child under 12 years of age are granted one additional day of rest per three months (or their working hours are reduced by 8 hours per three months), employees raising a disabled child under eighteen years of age or two children under twelve years of age are granted one additional day of rest per month (or their working hours are reduced by two hours per week), and those raising three or more children under twelve years of age or raising two children under 12 years of age, when one or both children are disabled, are granted two days per month (or their working hours are reduced by four hours per week, respectively), with the employee being paid their average wage. Employees who are not entitled to the established additional days of rest and who are raising a child under the age of fourteen who is studying in accordance with pre-school education, primary education or basic education programs are granted at least half a working day of free time from work per year on the first day of the school year, with payment of the employee's average wage.

The right to free time off for family needs - during the working day (shift), at the request of the employee and with the consent of the employer, free time off is granted to meet the employee's personal needs. The employer must provide free time off to the employee if the employee's request is related to urgent family reasons in the event of illness or accident, when the employee must be directly involved. The parties may agree on the transfer of working time to another working day (shift), without violating the requirements for maximum working time and minimum rest time.

With employees raising a child (children) under the age of three, the employment contract cannot be terminated at the employer's initiative in the absence of the employee's fault.

Equal Opportunities

There are no specific initiatives to support gender equality targeting young women or men as a special age group in the labour market. But in order to foster a sustainable change towards better accessing the labour force potential of women a series of public and private initiatives – with legislative and non-legislative focus - have been implemented in Lithuania. The first Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson (hereinafter – Ombudsperson) was appointed on 20 April 1999. The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson was established on 25 May 1999 by the Parliament of Lithuania. In 2005, a new Law on Equal Treatment came into force. Ombudsperson’s mandate was extended and guaranteed the right to file complaints to the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson in cases of discrimination on grounds of age, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnic origin, religion or beliefs. The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson is a budgetary institution financed from the state budget. Ombudsperson, by proposal from the Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament), is assigned for a term of five years by secret voting in Parliament. Ombudsperson is accountable to Parliament and is responsible for the enforcement of the Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the Law on Equal Treatment. The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson investigates complaints, carries out investigations on personal initiative and provides consultations regarding submitted inquiries, performs independent researches, related to discrimination and independent surveys on the discrimination state, releases independent reports, provides conclusions and recommendations on any issue related to discrimination with regard to the implementation of both mentioned laws, also provides proposals to the state institutions of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as municipality institutions and offices on further development of legal acts and priorities of equal opportunities policy implementation, carries out preventive and educational activity, including propagation of equal opportunities assurance. The Office also exchanges the possessed information with institutions of the European Union and international organisations with analogical functions. Article 5 of the Law on Equal Opportunities of the Republic of Lithuania stipulates the employer's obligation to implement equal opportunities at work and in the civil service. Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (ŽTOK) conducts a number of activities such as projects and seminars on the benefits of gender equality. The Women Committee at the Lithuanian Labour Federation (LDF) promotes equal opportunities for women and men, better work-life balance, abolishing gender stereotypes etc. 

Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

Lithuania is included the Youth Employment Initiative in the Operational Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments in 2021-2027; where its implementation was assigned to specific objective Specific objective – 4.1. To improve access to employment and activation measures for all job seekers, particularly young people, especially through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee, for long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups on the labour market and for inactive people, as well as through the promotion of self-employment and the social economy. 

• Measures to improve access to employment    almost Eur 186 million.

• Specific support for youth employment and socio-economic integration of young people    almost Eur 40 million.

• Support to self-employment and business start-ups    almost Eur 6,8 million.

• Measures for a healthy and well–adapted working environment addressing health risks, including promotion of physical activity    almost Eur 1,08 million. 

The measure “subsidised employment” is regulated by Article 9 of the Description of the conditions and procedure for implementing employment support measures (link). 

Second Employment Law of the Republic of Lithuania the learning support measures are :

• vocational training;

• employment under an apprenticeship contract;

• internship;

• recognition of competences acquired through non-formal and informal education;

• non-formal adult education;

• acquisition of qualifications and competences creating high added value.

Lithuanian Public Employment Service, Agency of Youth Affair and other institutions implements projects, where young people are one of the target groups:

• Direction-Future (Kryptis - Ateitis). The project is financed by the Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan "New Generation Lithuania" and the EU. The aim of the project is to provide opportunities for unemployed and employed persons to acquire qualifications and competencies that create high added value, to promote the creation of jobs that would contribute to the digital or green transformation and support the goals of the circular economy, with the aim of ensuring that the country's residents acquire and timely update their skills and knowledge that will allow them to use the automation and digitalization process and the benefits of the green transformation in the workplace. End of project activities implementation - 2026.04.30. Project activity regions - All of Lithuania. Project target group - Unemployed and employed persons. Allocated funding - 106,049,647.07 Eur.

• Project "Next stop - work" (Kita stodelė - DARBAS). The aim of the project is to increase the opportunities for the unemployed, especially those with limited and average employment opportunities, unskilled, long-term, older, migrants, registered with the Employment Service under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania, and unemployed and uneducated youth, to return to the labour market. The start of the implementation of the project activities is 2023-07-01, the end is 2026-06-30. The regions of the project activities are the Capital Region and the Central and Western Lithuania (CWL) region. Allocated funding is 119,759,952.99 EUR. Co-financed with the EU.

• KarjerON project. The aim of the project is to increase the opportunities for unemployed people aged 18-29, especially those with limited and average employment opportunities, unskilled, long-term, migrants, registered with the Employment Service under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania, to find employment or return to the labour market. The start of the implementation of the project activities is 2023.06.29; the end is 2026.06.30. The regions of the project activities are Vilnius region and Central and Western Lithuania (CWL) region. Allocated funding is EUR 54,505,923.99. Funds used in 2023-2024 are EUR 20,605,825.19

• The Agency of Youth Affairs and 34 partners are implementing the project "Connections" (JUNGTYS) 07-020-P-0001 in the period 2024-03-06-2028-02-29, the aim of which is to reduce the number of inactive young people by working purposefully with young people with fewer opportunities (potential NEETs) and young people in the NEET group, by consistently implementing intervention measures (to help young people return to the labor market and (or) the education system) and by ensuring the implementation of preventive measures that meet the needs of specific young people. The scope of the project is that by 2028, 8,000 people will participate in the project activities (of which 1,481 in the capital region and 6,519 in the central and western region). Of these, 30% will start studying, looking for a job, and working, including self-employment, after completing the activities. The total amount of project funding is EUR 13,365,750.21. The project is financed by the European Union's structural support for 2021–2027 "European Social Fund +" and the European Union's structural support for 2021–2027 co-financing.
   

Quality assurance

The following key sources of primary and secondary data are used to properly evaluate the youth employment measures and schemes implemented in Lithuania: information, provided by administrators of the measures, project managers; related legislative acts and documents; statistical data from EU Structural Fund computerized information management and monitoring system (SFMIS) database, Eurostat and Statistics Lithuania; previously conducted evaluations; surveys; sources and research papers of international institutions, addressing youth employment initiative; statistical data from State Social Insurance Fund Board of the Republic of Lithuania and National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health. The above mentioned mechanisms of quality assurance of measures implemented in Lithuania help to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of these measures, with a view to improve the implementation of similar measures in the forthcoming periods and better tailor these measures to meet the needs of youth.

The Qualifications and Vocational Training Development Centre (KPMPC) publishes occupational standards approved by legal acts.

Quality Policy of the Employment Service (UZT). In order to assure the quality of the services provided, UZT follows the legal acts regulating its activities, the provisions of the LST EN ISO 9001:2015 “Quality Management Systems. Requirements” standard and takes into account customer requirements.
The quality policy is focused on the strategic priorities of the organization and reflects the most important principles of quality management in order to meet the needs and expectations of all important stakeholders and assure continuous improvement. OBLIGATIONS:

• Analyze, understand and satisfy the needs of the organization's customers.

• Promote cooperation of all stakeholders in the process of improving the quality of services.

• Assure the development of competencies, accumulate knowledge and experience, implementing the strategic goals of the institution.

• Recognize and develop the abilities, initiative and achievements of the community.

• Assure the responsibility of each employee for the quality of their work according to their duties and competence.

• Assure that quality goals are periodically set and the results of their implementation are assessed.

• Apply a procedural and systemic approach, strive to improve operational management, improve the quality of services provided and processes implemented.

• Develop a network of partners in order to become a recognized labor market coordinating organization.

• Implement managerial innovations to achieve value for all stakeholders.

• Foster a quality culture.

• Assure the effective functioning and continuous improvement of the quality management system.

• The provisions of this Quality Policy are accessible to all stakeholders, known and understood by the employees of the Employment Service.

• You can find a certificate confirming the quality of the activities of the Employment Service here.

In 2017, the Description of the Conditions and Procedure for Monitoring the Labour Market was approved (link), according to which the effectiveness of the provision of labour market services and the implementation of active labour market policy measures is assessed. The purpose of such assessment is to assess the quality of labour market services provided by territorial labour exchanges and the effectiveness of implemented active labour market policy measures, in order to improve the activities of the Lithuanian Labour Exchange and territorial labour exchanges. The assessment is carried out using data from the Lithuanian Labour Exchange information system.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports adopted Order No. V-1218 in 2023 on the approval of the Description of the Procedure for Assuring the Quality of Non-Formal Adult Education and Continuing Education Programmes Published in the Individual Learning Accounts (IMP) System. The initial assessment of learning programmes submitted for publication in the IMP system is carried out by the Qualifications and Vocational Training Development Centre (hereinafter referred to as the KPMPC). The Ministry may set priorities for the monitoring of areas and/or sub-areas or monitoring indicators and/or criteria of the implemented Learning Programmes. The assessment and quality monitoring of Learning Programmes published in the IMP system is financed: from EU structural funds and from other funding sources.

The quality of training in the form of an apprenticeship is the responsibility of the vocational training institution or the employer, if the latter provides training without a training institution. When the employer organizes training together with the training institution, both parties cooperate to assure the quality of the training (source).

Has a guide been published on how to achieve training quality and efficiency in ESF projects (link).